by admin | Aug 12, 2008 | Fernie TransRockies
Day one from Panorama to K2 Ranch was a typical “Transrockies” day. We left with the music blaring, “The Highway to Hell”. From Panorama we immediately began a relentless 2-hour hill climb ( the steepesta dn longest climb in the race) where we were rewarded at the top with snow, hail and fantastic vistas. There was the expected assortment of single-track downhills, rocky climbs, side- mountain shale tracks and muddy bogs. Best of all was the spectacular scenery and my favourite… the rolling fast gravel descent for 20 kms.
All the Fernie teams were in from just after 6 hours to 6:45. All came over the finish line with smiles; tired, but happy to be done for the day. Doug and George had mechanical issues that cost them an hour.
I am tired, but ready to ride tomorrow. Kudos to my partner Shayne for helping on the long climbs often pushing two bikes. Sebastian and Michele are downhill demons and made up several places on those stretches of single track and the Evolution girls are all around good riders.
My goal to arrive before 7 hours, but still ride within my limits was completed. What more could you ask for on the first day of the ‘toughest mountain bike race in the world’. It is an honour to ride for all those that have sponsored the ‘Blackstone Fernie Breath Easy” Teams and to represent Asthma Canada .
by admin | Aug 9, 2008 | Fernie TransRockies
Pledges for the Asthma Society of Canada are starting to roll in as bikes from all over the world are doing the same. Brightly-coloured jerseys decorate the streets of downtown Fernie as riders gather before the first stage in Panorama Sunday morning.
The Blackstone Fernie Teams had a successful Fundraising Dinner Wednesday evening. The generous donation of a wonderful 4-course meal by Park Place Lodge and wine from Tinhorn Creek, allowed all the proceeds from the evening to go directly to the Society of Asthma Canada. Over $3,700 was raised as friends and supporters purchased tickets for the $75 a plate event.
Stories were shared, Dr. Virginia Robinson spoke briefly on the benefits of a non-profit Asthma Society in Canada, and a $1,000 donation was made by the Blackstone Transrockies Society in memory of a well-known local, Peter Sturmhoesel who died of asthma in his early thirties. Peter was a skier, mountain biker, husband and friend to many active Fernie residents. As someone who has struggled with an asthma attack fearfully at times in the Emergency Room, it was a very real and touching moment for me.
The Volunteer Canadian Ski Patroller Association, whom Michelle is an active member, also presented a cheque for $200.
Park Place Lodge’s fundraiser dinner
Gordon Sombrowski presenting Shayne, Pepper, Sebastine & Michelle with a cheque
Ken McRitchie (Blackstone) & Dan Savage (Fernie Event Director) presenting a second cheque
Now Shayne and I are packing his camp trailer, gathering the extra bike parts and nutrition supplements and generally keeping too busy to be nervous. At the last minute yesterday, picking up the motor-home that was pre-arranged, we were turned back at the border on a technicality that Canadian residents can’t use a motor-home rented in the US for Canadian recreation. Is a 7-day mountain bike race through the Rockies raising awareness for asthma recreation? But to no avail, we tried everything … so time to change plans at the last minute.
Michele and Sebastian are dealing with their own preparation issues as Sebastian awaits a new bike frame or the loan of another bike to solve the problem of a last minute cracked frame on the bike he has been riding throughout all the training.
We’ll all get it together in time to join the throng of 500+ colourful, tuned athletes at the race start. One day at a time, one obstacle at a time in preparations and throughout the race.
See you in the mountains.
Pepper
by admin | Aug 9, 2008 | Fernie TransRockies
Fernie has participated as an official stage host of the TransRockies every year since the events inception in 2002. Following five consecutive years of being the Official Start community Fernie juxtaposed last year to become the Official Finish. No other community has staged the event more than four years, or been a Start or Finish for more than three years.
Event Director, Dan Savage, says, “With some of the best singletrack mountain biking in the Canadian Rockies and all the amenities of a ski town, combined with an extremely supportive business community, Fernie has emerged as the cornerstone community of the TransRockies.”
Local riders have been building an extensive network of singletrack trails for over 20 years. More than 60 trails line the valley and ridges overlooking the 100-year-old mining town. A huge variety of trail options offer everything from a formidable riding challenge to a pleasurable scenic cruise. As an international powder skiing destination, local accommodation and dining amenities are in abundance, catering to all budgets and tastes. Combining modern sport and recreation tourism with Fernie’s historic roots as a mining town has created a unique destination where relaxed locals greet visitors with a smile.
The community of Fernie invites all mountain bikers to visit and ride our famous TransRockies trails. You can also participate in the Epic Finish on August 16th in the heart of the Historic downtown and enjoy a public Champagne Tent and Beer Garden at the finish line. If you’re traveling with children aged three to eight, plan to participate in the bike rally starting at 10 a.m. on the 16th of August. The event is fun, educational and free to all contact the Fernie organizers to register.
We look forward to seeing you at the Blackstone Fernie TransRockies Epic Finish!
by admin | Jul 25, 2008 | Fernie TransRockies
The world-renown TransRockies Challenge mountain bike race will visit Fernie this August 16th for the seventh consecutive year, this being the second year staging the Official Finish and the Kids’ Bike Rally.
When 500 + riders from over 20 countries roll up to the start line in Blairmore, AB for the final race stage, they will be facing their seventh tough day of mountain biking which includes more singletrack, more vertical and more distance than before. At the same time in Fernie 100 kids’ aged 4 – 8 will be facing a fun and educational bike rally around Fernie’s downtown.
This mini-rally was a great success last year and will again add to the festivities surrounding the TransRockies Epic Finish. The event is free and is limited to the first 100 kids to register. Registration is at The Guides Hut however registration forms can be obtained by emailing transrockies@fernie.com.
Start times are every half hour beginning at 10am and ending at 11:30am. The rally route take about one hours and kids must be accompanies by a parent.
Event Overview:
• Event Date: Saturday August 16, 2007
• Event Time: 10:00 am – 12:00 noon
• Event Location: Victoria Avenue & Station Square
• Event Participants: Children ages 4-8 & their parents
• Registration: The Guides Hut
• Rally Route
o Start #1– Guides Hut – equipment check and fun accessories
o Checkpoint #2 – Carosella plaza – Bike decoration and Asthma Society Of Canada information
o Checkpoint #3 – Fire Station – Bike safety information
o Checkpoint #4 – Overwaitea – Snacks with Nutrition and hydration information
o Finish #5 – Arts Station – Crafts, face painting, and photos.
by admin | Jul 20, 2008 | Fernie TransRockies
Everyone is familiar with the sensation of breathing hard during exertion. The increased heart rate, quickened breathing and slight tightening in the chest. Now imagine these sensations increasing rapidly while you’re only sitting still. This is how an asthma attack feels.
The Asthma Society of Canada reports “In Canada, approximately 20 children and 500 adults die each year from asthma. About 20 per cent of boys and 15 per cent of girls aged 8 to 11 have been diagnosed with asthma. It is estimated that more than 80 per cent of asthma deaths could be prevented with proper asthma education.” Awareness, support and education are crucial to change these statistics.
In this year’s TransRockies there are two teams that are hoping to increase such awareness and education. The Breathe Easy teams from Fernie, B.C. are riding in support of the Asthma Society of Canada. They will compete in the “toughest mountain bike race in the world” for 7 days through the British Columbia Rockies covering approximately 600 kms and an elevation gain of 12,000 vertical miles. Team Breathe Easy One is Pepper Couelle-Sterling, a teacher and asthmatic and Dr. Shayne Soetaert, a family physician, who are also conducting educational seminars in the schools about Athletes and Asthma. Team Breathe Easy Two is Michelle Kramer and Sebastian Bade.
If you would like to learn more about the Blackstone Fernie TransRockies campaign supporting asthma, please go to the Asthma Society of Canada’s website: www.asthma.ca. Do it honour of the asthma sufferer you love the most. And don’t worry if that person happens to be you. To quote the motto of the Asthma Society, “everyone deserves to breathe easy.” To make a donation please go directly to: www.asthma.ca
by admin | Jul 15, 2008 | Fernie TransRockies
In legend, the seventh wave is believed to be the biggest in each set and, around the World, sailors fear it and surfers dream of riding it. For mountain bikers, this year’s seventh edition of the TransRockies which takes place in Canada’s majestic Rocky Mountains, will be the best ride yet. The route is longer and more challening than ever before while the food and racer support will set new standards for epic events.
Set to start on August 10th in Panorama Mountain Village, North America’s original epic bike race will have an international field of 500 riders from more than 30 countries from Norway to Zimbabwe, Qatar to Singapore. A revised course with more stunning Rocky Mountain singletrack, epic panoramic vistas, distance, and elevation will be combined with a new homegrown catering supplier for what promises to be the best TransRockies yet.
In 2007, forest fires caused the course to be changed to include an extra night at Nipika Mountain resort while the planned overnight stop in Alberta had to be cancelled. This year’s route includes both the extra night in Nipika which proved to be very popular with riders along with a return to the Crowsnest Pass region of Southwestern Alberta.
The heavy snow season in 2007/8 has been a mixed blessing for TransRockies organizers. On the one hand, it means that final route mapping and measurement is just underway but it also means that this should be a relatively safe year for dry forest conditions and that route integrity will be maintained from planning to event.
What is certain is that the final route will include significantly more singletrack thanks to new routing on Days 1, 2, 3, and 6 along with a exciting Day 7 route which will be significantly longer than in the past. Oh, and that one will have lots more famous Fernie singletrack, too. Final numbers will be released before the event, but riders can expect a fun and challenging 2008 route which lives up to the TransRockies reputation as the most raw and remote fully supported epic in the World.
Each off-season, the TransRockies organization does extensive participant surveys and staff debriefings in an effort to maintain and improve the event. In 2007, the one area which we knew needed attention was food, as the chosen caterer did not meet the standards set by TransRockies over the years. “It was pretty evident to us that the quality of food was not what we or our participants expect or deserve,” said Event Director Aaron McConnell, “so we put a search structure in place immediately after our 2007 event with the aim of offering the best food ever at an epic MTB event.”
With that goal in mind, the TR organization contracted three-time Ironman Champion and sports nutritionist Melissa Spooner as a food consultant for the event and then began an extensive search for the 2008 caterer. After sorting through a number of superb presentations, the contract was awarded to two parties; local suppliers Anne Riches from Invermere and Claude Perrault, of C&P Catering, from Fernie. In 2006, Anne Riches catered three days of the event and those meals surveyed as the highest-rated in the history of the TransRockies. Claude Perrault has been involved in the TransRockies since year one where he served the very first TransRockies dinner. This year he’ll be serving the final dinner. With support in menu development from Melissa, the 2008 TransRockies will be a feast for the stomach as well as the legs, lungs and eyes.
Riders build their year around events like the TransRockies and so in 2008, registration for the 2009 TransRockies epic will be opening the day after this year’s finishes. Past participants will be given priority: 2008 participants can begin 2009 sign-up starting at the closing banquet while other past TR participants can sign up online starting on Sunday, August 17th. General registration will open on Monday, August 18th. Entry fees have been set for 2009 and will remain unchanged from this year.
For full 2008 event information and 2009 registration details, please visit www.transrockies.com.
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